


Thankless Job

by SerpentsEmbrace



Series: Awakening [2]
Category: Warframe
Genre: F/M, Mild Blood, The Second Dream, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-07
Updated: 2017-11-07
Packaged: 2019-01-30 16:00:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12656781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SerpentsEmbrace/pseuds/SerpentsEmbrace
Summary: My operator from Awakening, who has taken the name Renato, takes a rough, tough Valkyr on a dangerous mission to Lua prior to the events of The Second Dream. Spoilers for that quest ahead.





	Thankless Job

Renato had always preferred following the rules. He obeyed orders, kept his promises, and stayed in line. He liked it better when things were straightforward. Today, however, for the first time since the Collapse, he was about to break a promise. Of all the people whose trust he could have betrayed, he regretted that it had to be the Lotus.

\----------

As Renato’s Liset reached its destination, brilliant white moonlight washed over his face. Lua’s surface shined before him like a titanic marble. From within his Excalibur Warframe, he released the boarding handles and softly dropped to the ground in the low gravity. As he touched down on the landing pad, electromagnets in his boots anchored him there to simulate Earth-like gravity. 

On his left, a metallic impact reverberated through the landing pad as his companion on this mission took her position. Her name was Kal’shira - operator of a red and black painted Valkyr Prime. She was headstrong, resilient, and independent - exactly what Renato wanted if things somehow went wrong. He had brought her to Lua unbeknownst to the Lotus, or anyone else for that matter, aside from his ship Cephalon. He had promised her undiscovered secrets of the Orokin, and a power that no weapon could match. It wasn’t entirely true, but nor was it a lie. He just hoped he was doing the right thing.

Despite this being her first visit to Lua, Kal’shira tore through the gilded halls with confidence towards the first objective that Ren’s cephalon, Onyx, had marked for them. The objective was a scattered group of Infested Ancients that had managed to endure the ravages of time. How they had done so, exactly, Renato wasn’t sure, but there appeared to be no other Infested activity. These must have been a remnant from the Old War that hadn’t been cleansed, the same as the one that he had encountered when he was Awakened.

Kal’shira arrived at their objective well ahead of Renato. By the time he caught up to her, the once pristine halls were aready dark and slick with Infested blood. Kal’shira was all rage and steel, shredding everything in her path either with vicious slashes of her claws or heavy thuds of her hammer. Together, the two Tenno wordlessly made short work of the remaining Infested.

The next objective was a deactivated console that Onyx had found among the rubble of a crashed Orokin vessel. Ren followed close behind Kal’shira as they rounded the corner of a wide hallway. At its end, the intricate Orokin architecture abruptly gave way to dust, stone, and the open, starless “sky” of the Void. A gaping, bottomless canyon only a few hundred meters away marked the place where, long ago, an Orokin warship had crashed into the crumbling lunar surface. One of the few pieces of the ship that had not slipped into the chasm below was the bridge - and within it, a Neural Sentry.

The Tenno met no resistance in the warship’s wreckage. Much to Kal’shira’s irritation, they also encountered no ancient treasures. There was only dust, bone, and rubble.

“I thought you said this all was untouched!” she said with frustration in her voice as she heaved aside a broken pillar that had fallen in their path.

“Untouched since the Orokin era, yes,” Renato replied calmly. “This ship could have been scavenged not long before the Collapse, but Onyx’s scans show the Neural Sentry is still intact.”

“Wait, Neural Sentry?!” Kal’shira stopped in her tracks. “What the hell are we going to do with that?”

“We’re going to activate it.”

“Activate it? If you’ve been telling the truth, then there’s nobody here,” Kal’shira said with her arms crossed and her voice full of suspicion. She was quickly losing patience with Renato’s scheme.

“The Corrupted will be our defense,” he explained, raising his hands defensively. “Lua can’t remain undetected in the Void forever. Sooner or later, someone will find it, and without a Neural Sentry active, they could take anything they want without opposition.”

“Then why kill those infested? Couldn’t they do the same job.?”

“We need the area to be safe for… for us right now,” Renato said with some hesitation. “No hostiles, no problems. But if any Grineer or Corpus somehow find their way here, they’ll become the new defenders. If Tenno come here, they should still be able to-”

“Yeah, I know how a Neural Sentry works,” Kal’shira interrupted sarcastically. “Whatever, let’s just do it so we can get this over with.”

The activation of the Neural Sentry took place largely in silence between the two Tenno. The most difficult obstacle to overcome was merely to power the machine. After some searching, they were able to scavenge enough Ayatan stars to keep the Sentry running at low power. It would work for now. There was nothing for it to control, but there also wasn’t anything left to cause trouble anymore.

“This is our final objective,” Renato said as they made their way back out of the ruined ship. “The secrets I promised you.”

“You never actually told me what it was,” the Valkyr commented rudely.

“The true power of the Tenno.”

“Will you just fucking say what you mean?”

“It’s best if I show you. It would be easier than explaining.”

Renato could practically feel the heat of the other Tenno’s anger on his shields. What would she think when they reached the Well and revealed its secrets? Would she be angry? Probably. Would she be grateful for the truth? Hopefully. The anxiety of the unknown gnawed at his stomach all the way to the Well. Once they arrived, there was no need to announce it.

The Well, one of many, was a vast, dome-shaped room. Compared to others, it was practically featureless. Its majority was taken up by large, perfectly round pool of water. Its surface, undisturbed for who knew how many years, was a perfect mirror. The importance of the room laid just beneath the surface.

“Onyx, raise the cryopods, please,” Ren said to his Cephalon.

“So what’s this?” Kal’shira demanded, unimpressed. “A big room with a swimming pool?”

“No,” Ren said as the water began to bubble, machinery churning beneath it. “This is the home of all Tenno, in a way. At the very least… it’s where we became what we are.”

“W-what are you talking about?” the other Tenno asked, caught off guard for the first time by the combination of Renato’s words and the cryopods that were beginning to reveal themselves.

“We’ve all been living in a dream,” he continued. “A dream that has kept us safe, but it cannot do so forever.”

A multi-layered ring of cryopods slowly emerged from the water, suspended in massive Ayatan clockwork. Once they had fully risen, they extended outwards and rotated in a slow circle until they came to an abrupt stop with one cryopod in particular extended towards where Kal’shira stood, frozen in confusion.

“W-... What is that supposed to mean? You want me to get into a cryopod?” she asked.

“No… I want you to get out of one.” Ren pointed towards the semitransparent portion of the pod’s encasing.

Kal’shira took a tentative step forward and peered down into the dark interior of the cryopod. Inside laid a humanoid form covered head to toe in a plain gray bodysuit. Their limbs were thin with lack of use. They would have stood just over five and a half feet tall - nowhere near the height of the seven foot tall Warframe they piloted.

“Is-... Is this some sort of sick fucking joke?!” Kal’shira shouted furiously as she snapped her head around towards Renato.

“It’s no joke,” he replied as calmly as he could. “Your true power-”

“What the fuck kind of true power is that?” the Valkyr Prime demanded, venom lacing her voice. She pointed one clawed finger at the cryopod and the frail body within. “That pathetic thing is NOT me!”

“You can rebuild your str-”

“Stop talking!” Kal’shira interrupted. “Every time you talk, you just spout more bullshit! You give all these bullshit reasons why you’re not telling the Lotus we’re here, and why we’re activating the Neural Sentry, but you know what I think? You’re a rogue Tenno, aren’t you?”

Renato was taken aback by the accusation. He had anticipated that Kal’shira would be upset, but that wasn’t exactly the conclusion he thought she would reach. Regardless, he couldn’t blame her. It made sense. “L-listen,” he said, finding himself with his hands raised defensively for the second time. “I can see why you might think that, but this is the truth. The real you is right there in that cryo-”

“STOP SAYING THAT! I told you that thing isn’t me!” Kal’shira interrupted again. Her energy flared a dangerous dark red. Her fingers curled to prepare her claws. Far too late, Renato was beginning to realize he had lost control of the situation.

“If you just let me wake you-” Renato never had a chance to finish his sentence.

The final interruption came from Kal’shira’s fist connecting with his Excalibur’s jaw. His head snapped to the side and he staggered back with the force of the punch. Before he could recover, the Valkyr drove her fist up into his gut with enough force to lift him off the ground a few inches. Renato clutched his midsection in pain and stumbled backwards. It gave him just enough warning to roll with the kick Kal’shira delivered to the side of his helmet. His vision went dark for an instant, but he was able to draw one of his Dex Dakra as he rolled back to his feet.

Renato didn’t want to fight a fellow Tenno, but there was no time to think, much less talk. It was about self-defense now. Kal’shira was already charging ahead full force with her claws of destructive energy extended. As Ren drew his other sword, a powerful swipe of the Valkyr Prime’s claws wrenched the first from his grasp and sent it flying. He was barely able to deflect the next strike by clutching the hilt of his blade in both fists.

Kal’shira would have none of that. When Ren tried to block her next swipe, she grabbed the blade itself in her claws as if it were nothing and yanked! Somehow, Ren managed to keep his grip despite losing his balance. He lurched forward unexpectedly, but was stopped just as abruptly by the Valkyr’s clawed boot on his chest. Off guard, off balance, and outmatched, Ren could only hold on with all his might. It wasn’t enough.

“RRRAAAH!” With an enraged war cry and a powerful kick, Kal’shira separated Renato from his weapon and sent him skidding across the ground in a shower of sparks. By the time he stopped sliding, the Valkyr was already on top of him. She lifted his own blade high above her head and plunged it straight down towards his face. There was no time to think. Ren threw his arms up as the blade came down.

“AUUGH!” Renato screamed in pain as the edge of his sword slid across his forearm, paring armor and flesh alike as it embedded itself in the ground behind his head. He was in incredible pain, but he had deflected the blade and saved his life. There was no time to celebrate though. Ren was made very well aware of that fact when Kal’shira’s claws closed around his throat. With the strength of one arm alone, she lifted his upper body off the ground by his neck, then slammed it back down again with enough force to make his shields flicker with the impact. CRACK!

The injured Tenno tried to call out for Onyx, but he couldn’t breathe, nor could he loosen Kal’shira’s powerful grip. CRACK! His shields flickered again. Was he going to die like this? Murdered by a fellow Tenno he was trying to help? Kal’shira clearly had no intention of showing him mercy. CRACK! Ren’s shields failed completely and warning lights flared to life on his HUD. He had no time to pay them any mind. There was only one way out of this. Even as Kal’shira continued pounding away, he directed his focus elsewhere…

\----------

Suddenly, Renato found himself sitting aboard his orbiter - with a working voice. “Onyx!” he shouted, coughing between breaths. “Wake her up, NOW!”

“I’m so sorry Operator! I was trying to reach you, but she-”

“NOW!!!”

There was no time to waste. Ren had to get back into his Excalibur before Kal’shira could do irreparable damage. He closed his eyes and focused…

\----------

CRACK! Ren was welcomed back to his Warframe with another painful impact to the back of his head and the familiar feeling of a vise-like grip around his throat. His vision was going dark from lack of oxygen to his neuroptics. What he could still see was staticy and distorted from the repeated impacts. His Warframe had gone limp when he had cut the Transference link, but Kal’shira had not let up on her assault, it seemed. As she prepared to slam him to the ground again, he kicked both legs out with all his might. It didn’t stop her, but it at least disrupted her rhythm enough to lessen the impact of the blow. Ren prepared himself for another… but it never came.

Kal’shira had frozen in place, rigid and unmoving. After what felt like an eternity, the Warframe collapsed limply on top of Renato’s Excalibur. With the grasp on his throat finally released, he gasped desperately for as much air as he could fit in his lungs. How sweet it was! He coughed profusely and clutched at his neck as he pushed the dead weight of the Valkyr Prime off of himself. Judging by the static that still clouded his vision, not to mention the throbbing pain in his head, the damage was extensive. He drew his knees towards his chest and rested his head in one hand. The other arm he let dangle limply, at his side, coated in a thick layer of half-dried blood. This was not at all how he had hoped this mission would go.

As the pain in his lungs and head faded to more manageable levels, a piercing sound pulled him out of his own thoughts. It was a sound he was sure he must have heard before, but not for many, many years: a wailing sob. Ren jerked his head towards the sound. On the ground next to an empty cryopod laid a small, frail form that shook with each breath it took. Kal’shira - not the Warframe, but the Operator. As soon as Ren was confident he could stand, he pulled himself to his feet shakily and shuffled towards her. Kal’shira looked much like Ren probably did when he was first Awakened: terribly thin, afraid, and sobbing on the floor in a heap. But at least she still had her Warframe. 

“I’m sorry,” Renato rasped as he knelt by her side. “I didn’t want to have to do it like this…” He gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t touch me!” Kal’shira shrieked and jerked away from his touch. Heavy sobs wracked her body as she lay curled up on her side.

“I’m sorry,” Ren apologized again. He had wanted to Awaken her more gently, but she hadn’t given him much choice. Now not only was he sure to get a verbal lashing from the Lotus and Onyx alike once he was back aboard his Orbiter, but it was unlikely Kal’shira would ever talk to him again once this was over. In fact, he hoped she didn’t so he wouldn’t have to relive his failure in memory - if she didn’t still want to kill him of course.

\----------

It was over an hour before Kal’shira finally stopped crying. Even then, she simply withdrew into herself. She was unwilling to answer Renato’s questions, acknowledge her warframe, or otherwise interact with the world around her in any way. Eventually she allowed Renato, still weary from his injuries, to carry her to extraction. She buried her face in her hands the entire way while Ren carried her Valkyr Prime on his back and her much smaller “true” body in his arms. It was hardly his proudest moment… But at least nobody got hurt.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Any sort of constructive feedback is greatly appreciated!


End file.
